DICKINSON, N.D. — Dickinson State overcame an early deficit and used steady offense throughout the afternoon to defeat Bismarck State 10-6 in the winner's bracket of the Frontier Conference Tournament on Friday at Bravera Field.
Trailing 5-0 after the opening half inning, Dickinson State (38-12) responded immediately and never trailed again, scoring in five of its six offensive innings to advance in postseason play.
Bismarck State (19-31) opened the game with five runs on five hits in the first inning, chasing Dickinson State starter Reagan King after three batters. Reannan Butler entered in relief and settled the game, allowing the Blue Hawks an opportunity to work back into the contest.
Dickinson State got on the board in the bottom of the first when Stocktyn Stevenson singled and later scored on an RBI double from Kiley Hubby.
The Blue Hawks continued to chip away in the second inning. Viennah Meyer reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored on a double by Allyson Farrington. Izzy Kelly reached on an error that brought in another run, and a passed ball allowed Kelly to score, cutting the deficit to 5-4.
Dickinson State completed the comeback in the third. Hubby singled to start the inning before Octavia Meyer doubled to put runners in scoring position. Viennah Meyer tied the game with a sacrifice fly, Farrington followed with an RBI single to give Dickinson State its first lead, and Kelly added an RBI triple to extend the advantage to 7-5.
The Blue Hawks added another run in the fourth. Stevenson drew a walk, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single from Celina Wilharm to make it 8-5.
Bismarck State added an unearned run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to two, but Butler worked out of the inning and kept the Mystics from getting any closer.
Dickinson State added insurance in the sixth. Wilharm tripled and came around to score on a defensive miscue, and Brooke Lijewski followed with a solo home run to center field to extend the lead to 10-6.
Butler earned the win after entering in relief in the first inning. She worked the final seven innings, allowing three runs—two earned—on six hits while striking out one. Butler retired Bismarck State in order in the second, third, and sixth innings and held the Mystics scoreless over the final two frames.
Dickinson State finished with 11 hits. Farrington went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, Kelly added two hits and two RBIs, and Hubby collected two hits and an RBI. Wilharm added two hits and scored twice, while Lijewski's sixth-inning home run helped secure the postseason victory.
The Blue Hawks will continue play in the Frontier Conference Tournament in the winner's bracket. They will play University of Providence on Saturday, May 2nd at 1:00pm.
